Chapter 10

"Elric Melvinger, a novice at the Academy, fell into a coma due to sudden 'Mana overexposure' leading to cardiac arrest at approximately 2:41 AM last night, and he is currently in a state of coma . Our medical team..."

The sudden announcement by Nerester, one of the six main schools of the Magic Tower commonly known as the 'Realm of Mortality,' and also the background of Sean, brought shock to the professors and magicians waiting for Elric to be discharged from the Imperial Magic Hospital, as well as to the various reporters.

Who is in a coma right now?

"Are you saying that Elric Melvinger is currently unconscious?"

"Please explain the exact circumstances!"

"I'm Daniel, a reporter from the 'Zion Tribune'! I have a question! Can you tell us the extent of the injuries?"

"If the heir of the Melvinger family is unconscious, then regarding the current situation of nest

3....!"

"Details and facts related to Elric Melvinger will be announced separately by the Tower. Please refer to the official statement for any further questions. That's all."

People surged forward like a swarm of clouds, wanting to grab hold of him, but soon they were forced to retreat by soldiers' intervention.

"Even if he's been labeled as disgraceful, he's still the heir of the Melvinger family, right? He's a duke...!"

"Darn it! What about the excavation rights for the discovered nest?"

"We can't let this go! We need to contact headquarters quickly and figure out a way to..."

With that, they determined their immediate tasks and began to move hastily.

The reporters started mobilizing their carriages to quickly inform headquarters of what was sure to be breaking news, while the professors hurriedly made their way to the academy to discuss the excavation of the nest that seemed to hover in mid-air.

And then.

Bam!

"Phew! Anyway, I can't stand crowds like this. It's really annoying. People talk too much, like a bunch of parrots."

The spokesperson, Karl Denitz, slammed the door shut as he boarded a carriage parked behind the hospital.

A heavy sigh escaped, thick with bitter disillusionment.

"Good job."

As Sean Nerester, sitting across, lightly chuckled and handed him a handkerchief, Karl took it as if snatching it away, grumbling.

"Ah! Please stop involving me in such matters, my lord. Do you have any idea how much it stresses me out every time something goes wrong?"

"It's not like I'm the one behind all of this."

"I understand, I know. It's probably all at the behest of Elric. But since you're already close to Elric, there's not much difference, sir, that's what I wanted to say."

Sean simply smiled quietly in response to Karl's nagging.

In aristocratic society, especially in the strict Nerester family, it was unthinkable for Sean to show such unbecoming behavior to the heir, but Sean didn't seem to care much about such things.

He knew well how much Karl had worked this time at his request.

No, to be honest, it wasn't just this time.

Every time Elric caused trouble at the academy while accompanied by Sean, it was always Karl who dealt with the aftermath.

However, this incident was particularly troublesome among them.

"Anyway, that's beside the point."

Karl wiped the cold sweat from his brow and returned the handkerchief to Sean politely before asking with a serious tone, "This time is quite different from before. It's a matter that has stirred up not just the Tower but the entire empire. Depending on the circumstances, even if things go smoothly, there's a chance the imperial court might resort to measures like censorship or inciting public opinion."

"I understand."

Sean let out a heavy sigh as if the ground were about to swallow him whole.

And yet, how could one not be aware of the risks involved in this charade?

Whether it succeeds or fails, the aftermath of this incident will be significant.

But Elric saw this as a golden opportunity.

After all, the bigger the gamble, the greater the spoils to be had.

'He's a clever one, so he'll handle it well on his own, won't he... But still, it would be nice if he recognized how much the person watching over him is suffering. That bastard.'

According to what I heard, when they sent someone to the hospital room this morning, Elric was already gone.

They said he didn't leave behind any letters or traces, so nobody knows where he might be by now.

Will he bother to eat or starve himself? Will he be surrounded by blind fools causing trouble?

As someone who still doesn't know that Elric has been treated for his blockage disease, Sean couldn't help but worry.

"So I'm trying to keep this as low-profile as possible this time too. There's nobody else who knows besides us, right?"

"Those who orchestrated this affair are all trustworthy individuals, so you don't need to worry about leaks."

"Well, that's a relief. Let's leave the rest to fate then."

"However..."

"Why? Is there something missing?"

Sean furrowed his brow slightly, wondering if Elric had perhaps caused another incident without his knowledge.

Karl hesitated slightly, unable to answer as readily as usual.

"What's the matter?"

"It's about Miss Tasha..."

"Why is Lady Tasha's name suddenly brought up?"

Sean's expression softened upon hearing the name of the person from his family whom he disliked the most.

"I'm not certain, but it seems that Lady Tasha may be showing some interest in this affair."

"What?"

* * *

[Heir to the Prestigious Magic Family, Missing!]

[Ownership of the Abandoned Jewel Dragon's Nest... Who Will Claim It?]

[A successful memoriall procession for Elric Melvinger, the Novice who Achieved a Monumental Discovery.]

[Movement among the faculty of Usdon Academy.]

[Careful assertion of excavation rights by Professor Berex and activities of the Magic Astronomy Research Institute, intense coverage!]

[Behind the Grand Discovery, there lies the shrewd and multifaceted assistance of Dean Berex of the Department of Elemental Studies.]

[Who was the quiet old man who silently supported the novice running towards his dream, unknown to anyone?]

[Attention and focus directed towards the Magic Astronomy Research Institute.]

"Sean seems to be doing surprisingly well, better than I thought."

On 21st Avenue, in the bustling downtown where numerous citizens hurriedly passed by from morning till night.

At the carriage station, various newspapers were laid out on the stands, displaying only their headlines.

They all focused on the same issue: events related to Elric Melvinger.

And even the 'rumors' of a certain kind professor who supported him in various ways to establish the exploration team.

Just skimming through a few headlines was enough to easily grasp how things were unfolding recently.

The shadow gazing at the stand seemed to smirk as if satisfied.

"Hmm? Young man, if you're not buying a newspaper, don't touch it...!"

The owner of the stand, adjusting his coat against the slowly approaching cold, turned around and was startled as he looked back.

"Huh? Where did he go?"

It seemed like just a moment ago there was a young man standing in front of him, but he quickly disappeared.

The owner came out to the main road and looked around, but he couldn't find anyone with a similar appearance to the person he had seen.

"Was I seeing things...?"

Perhaps he had been outside for too long and caught a heatstroke.

He began to think that he might have accumulated a lot of fatigue without realizing it.

Deciding that he should leave work earlier than usual today, the owner started to quickly tidy up the stand.

* * *

『Hiding isn't enough, now you're hopping around rooftops as well. With the power bestowed upon you by the king, you shouldn't be scurrying around like a rat! Show off some more dazzling and destructive magic!』

On a rooftop not far from the stand.

Mephistopheles was mocking Elric with his arms crossed.

But Elric paid him no attention at all.

"If I can crystallize and weave it into a knot rather than just imbuing mana into it, it seems like I could implement more complex incantations... No, even spells."

Elric, after mentally organizing various formulas, decided to give it a try and grabbed hold of the mana, pulling it towards himself.

"[Ascend], [Fly]."

In an instant, the airflow surrounding Elric seemed to shift slightly, and his body rose vertically into the sky in a single breath.

The speed at which he ascended startled Elric to the point of being taken aback.

The height and speed were incomparable to just rising onto the roof moments ago.

He felt a sense of danger that he might lose his senses if he stayed like this.

So Elric gradually adjusted the movement of the mana surrounding his body, and soon he was able to slowly twist his body in a direction other than vertical.

After several attempts at adjustment, Elric gradually became more proficient in changing direction and speed.

It required a significant amount of mana, but the Dragon Heart—what he started calling the 'Magic Core' at some point—constantly provided him with mana.

Mephistopheles, who was silently observing from below, licked his lips.

『How long has it been since he awakened to the basics of incantations? Now he can even perform simultaneous casting (Double Spell)...? Even though he's taken the king's power, how can he achieve this level of mastery in magic in just over twenty years, when he hadn't studied magic for so long?』

It had been about two weeks since Elric began his rigorous training in magic.

Mephistopheles had been astonished by Elric's genius several times, but every day he found himself surprised again by the next day.

Elric's visible progress was simply unbelievable.

Having once battled against the Melvingers long ago, Mephistopheles was well aware of just how formidable a group of monsters they were.

What kind of blessing did they receive to produce geniuses generation after generation?

Once the rulers of all magic and even considered enemies of the gods and demons alike.

But...

'He's surpassing even that level!'

Compared to Elric, all the geniuses among the Melvingers that Mephistopheles had seen before were like fireflies before the sun, if even that much.

'At this rate, he might even surpass their ancestors...!'

Lost in thought, Mephistopheles suddenly shook his head.

His thoughts had delved so deep that he nearly committed an unforgivable blasphemy. His very existence was an absolute taboo among them.

Anyway...

Mephistopheles regretted his past decision to try to devour Elric back in the days of the nest.

It was strange how someone with such a body could have blockage disease.

He had never intended to meddle with something so suspicious.

'Now that things have turned out like this, even my plan to seize his body at an opportune moment has gone awry. Damn it!'

Mephistopheles began to feel increasingly anxious.

Originally, he had hoped Elric would fail in handling the Magic Core, perhaps even triggering Mana Blockage. But Elric's mastery surpassed his expectations by far, leaving Mephistopheles with no opportunity to intervene.

Then...

"Hey, Mephistopheles."

In a flash, Elric quietly settled down beside Mephistopheles. His eyes were ablaze with vitality.

"Would you teach me some magic?"

As Elric successfully mastered spell after spell, his thirst for knowledge and achievement undoubtedly surged.

Mephistopheles was about to retort angrily at what he considered nonsense when a sudden thought crossed his mind, causing him to twist his lips in contemplation.

'Wait a minute. If I make good use of this opportunity, perhaps I can also regain access to the Magic Core?'

The talented sorcerer had swallowed his talents.